• FACILITIES
     
    History 
     
    BTW consists of an original, historic building and a new wing. 

    The original building was constructed in 1922 as the first African American high school in Dallas. In 1955 additional space was added for vocational training when it became a technical high school.

    The Dallas magnet system evolved from a court order on desegregation in 1976. Dallas Public Schools met specific needs to educate gifted artists with both the potential and aspiration for careers in the arts by establishing BTWHSPVA as a school solely dedicated to this mission. Gallery space and studios were added as a new wing. Portables were moved in to accommodate increasing graduation requirements required by TEA.

    In 1979 the Dallas Museum of Art became the second resident in what is now known as
    the Dallas Arts District. The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center followed in 1989.
     
    In January 2006 the school was temporarily located at Nolan Estes Plaza in south Dallas while the new building was under construction on the original Arts District site. Students moved back to the Arts District location in April, 2008.
     
    In 2008, a brand new $47 million state-of-the-art facility designed by nationally-recognized architect, Brad Cleopfil, was completed. The main building, incorporated as an historical landmark, has been preserved.